Adult Recreation & Creative Arts Therapies

The recreation and creative arts therapists at NYU Langone provide therapies during the hospital stay that allow you to participate in activities that interest you, while creating an environment that addresses your physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs. Many patients leave with tools that can be applied to their everyday lives.

We assist adults during inpatient cardiac and physical rehabilitation, as well as those who have epilepsy, are recovering from a stroke, have an injury that requires an adaptation such as amputation, or are dealing with cognitive impairment due to dementia or brain injury. Services are available to inpatients at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, Rusk Rehabilitation, and in our epilepsy, psychiatric, and medical intensive care units at Tisch Hospital and Kimmel Pavilion.

Our services are diverse and tailored to your needs. For example, people who have had a stroke may benefit from activities that help them understand place and time. We help people with physical impairments adjust to using an assistive device such as a wheelchair. People being treated for depression may benefit from learning new leisure skills such as music or art, which teach positive coping methods.

Recreation, music, and art can be a key part of your healing process. Our recreation and creative arts therapists work to help ease your stress and share new ways to improve your emotional wellbeing.

Referrals for Recreation and Creative Arts Therapies

Therapy sessions are designed for individuals and groups based on your needs. To access our services, ask your doctor for a referral or call the following numbers:

• At Tisch Hospital and Kimmel Pavilion, please call 212-263-6190.
• At NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital and Rusk Rehabilitation, please call 212-598-6440.

Therapeutic Recreation for Adults

Our certified therapeutic recreation specialists use a wide range of techniques and activities to meet your physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and leisure needs. We work with you and your family members to improve your health condition by helping you learn the skills and behaviors necessary for daily life and community involvement.

Patients participate in activities that foster independence. We also teach new or adaptive skills that may be better suited to your current health needs.

In addition, Rusk Rehabilitation therapists help you transition back into the community by sharing information about available resources and helping you practice navigating common recreation sites such as restaurants and movie theaters.

Music Therapy for Adults

Our board-certified music therapists assess your emotional wellbeing, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills through music-based responses and interventions. We use music improvisation, active music listening, songwriting, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music meditation, music performance, and learning through music.

Music therapy can help reduce stress and anxiety, develop interpersonal skills, and provide a healthy emotional outlet. It can be beneficial for anyone, regardless of prior music experience.

Art Therapy for Adults

Art therapists use the creative process of making art to improve and enhance physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Artistic self-expression has been shown to help people resolve conflicts and problem solve, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight into their current situation.

Our board-certified art therapists offer opportunities for patients to use a range of art materials. Art therapy is about the process, not the product; therefore, no degree of artistic skill is needed to participate.

Internship Program

NYU Langone also offers internships to students in clinical degree programs in therapeutic recreation, music therapy, art therapy, and child life.